Does Rick Hahn have the keys to the White Sox?

Just the other day at Sox Fest, Kenny Williams jokingly asked his new GM Rick Hahn if he thought he could out perform the last guy who held the job. Hahn easily responded with humor himself, but you have to wonder where the bar and the line really are.

Hahn is different from Williams in many ways from what we hear.

The new GM is much more interested in analytics and building a farm system than his predecessor apparently was. These are good things and I think this could bode well for the White Sox future. Chicago baseball fans should be excited as there are new and cutting edge ways of doing things on both sides of town.

Not many can blame Williams for his aggressive approach in trying to win every year. However, that strategy has now left Hahn without much left in the cupboard to work with.

The question I have is will Hahn really have final say?

Of course we have heard he will but I’m just not convinced yet. What happens if Hahn is able to replenish the system a bit in the next couple of years and the Sox are knocking on the door again?

Would Williams as team President, be able to resist nudging Hahn into making a splashy move like he was known to live for? What if one of those classic Kenny guys he has always longed for is available?

Truth is anytime you have a situation like this (John Paxson/Gar Forman) (Theo Epstein/Jed Hoyer) you wonder where that line really is. With Williams it bears to watch more closely, he has always been out to prove something.

Time will tell. At least the ugliness from the Williams/Ozzie Guillen drama is nowhere to be found around this low key like management team (Hahn/Robin Ventura).

That itself already is extremely refreshing. Even as someone who usually writes about the other team, I find it hard not to like the new faces of the Sox.

Will they be allowed to do things their way?

Maybe it takes a couple of years or so for them to win. Does Williams have the patience and control to see it through without interfering? Jerry Reinsdorf and Williams wanted to win big to try and change the landscape of fan bases in this town after ’05.

That opportunity may have passed. However, they are a much more likeable bunch that can provide two fresh new faces of the organization.